3D & CAD · head to head
V-Ray vs Tilt Brush
The short version
- Only Tilt Brush has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
- Each has a real cost: V-Ray licences are subscription only with no perpetual option listed for any product; Tilt Brush no longer actively developed by Google since January 2021; future updates and support are not guaranteed
- They diverge on capability: V-Ray covers Ray tracing, Tilt Brush covers 3D painting.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which V-Ray and Tilt Brush actually diverge.
| Attribute | V-Ray | Tilt Brush |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | $29/month | Free |
| Pricing model | subscription | Unknown |
| Free tier | No | Yes |
| Platforms | Windows, MacOS, Linux | HTC Vive, Oculus Rift, Oculus Quest, Windows Mixed Reality, Valve Index, PlayStation VR |
| Category | 3D & CAD | AR/VR & Metaverse |
| Founded | 1997 | 2016 |
Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated).
What each one covers
Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.
Only in V-Ray
- Ray tracing
- Global illumination
- GPU rendering
- CPU rendering
- Materials
- Lighting
- VR output
- Scene intelligence
Only in Tilt Brush
- 3D painting
- Dynamic brushes
- Environment selection
- Animation
- Google Poly
- Sketchfab
- YouTube VR
- Vr support
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
V-Ray
- Photorealistic rendering for architecture and product visualisationnot Tilt Brush
- Real time and ray traced rendering inside CAD and 3D applicationsnot Tilt Brush
Tilt Brush
- VR Gamingnot V-Ray
- AR Marketingnot V-Ray
- Virtual Trainingnot V-Ray
- 3D Visualizationnot V-Ray
- Immersive Experiencesnot V-Ray
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
V-Ray
- Licences are subscription only with no perpetual option listed for any product
- Subscription terms renew automatically
- Cloud rendering runs on separately purchased credits, with the Pro tier at $25.30 a month for 1,000
- Enterprise pricing requires contacting sales
Tilt Brush
- No longer actively developed by Google since January 2021; future updates and support are not guaranteed
- Limited editing capabilities with no layers system and no 3D brushes for precise refinement
- Not designed for professional branding or marketing work; better suited for creative expression than practical design
- Tool limitations make it difficult to move, cut, or rearrange grouped elements after creation
- VR hardware costs are high relative to software cost, and can cause motion sickness in some users
Pricing, plan by plan
V-Ray
$29/month- V-Ray Solo$60/month
- 1 workstation
- 5 render nodes
- V-Ray Premium$80/month
- Multiple apps
- Cloud credits
Tilt Brush
Free- Google Tilt Brush$19.99/one-time
- VR painting and creative tools
- Available on VR app stores
- Open Brush (open-source)Free
- Free open-source version
- Available on Steam and Meta Quest
Which should you pick?
Choose V-Ray if
- You need ray tracing.
- You work on Windows, MacOS, Linux.
- You also want global illumination.
Choose Tilt Brush if
- You need 3d painting.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on HTC Vive, Oculus Rift, Oculus Quest, Windows Mixed Reality, Valve Index, PlayStation VR.
- You also want dynamic brushes.
Questions people ask
- Is V-Ray or Tilt Brush better?
- Neither clearly leads. V-Ray starts at $29/month and Tilt Brush at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, V-Ray or Tilt Brush?
- Tilt Brush has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $29/month for V-Ray and Free for Tilt Brush.
- Does V-Ray or Tilt Brush run on more platforms?
- V-Ray runs on Windows, MacOS, Linux. Tilt Brush runs on HTC Vive, Oculus Rift, Oculus Quest, Windows Mixed Reality, Valve Index, PlayStation VR.
- Can I use Tilt Brush for free?
- Yes. Tilt Brush has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. V-Ray starts at $29/month.
- What is V-Ray best used for?
- V-Ray is most often used for photorealistic rendering for architecture and product visualisation, real time and ray traced rendering inside cad and 3d applications. Of those, photorealistic rendering for architecture and product visualisation and real time and ray traced rendering inside cad and 3d applications are not what Tilt Brush is typically brought in for.
- What can V-Ray do that Tilt Brush cannot?
- V-Ray covers Ray tracing, Global illumination, GPU rendering, CPU rendering. Tilt Brush covers 3D painting, Dynamic brushes, Environment selection, Animation.
Answered from the vendors’ own pages
Tilt Brush: Is Tilt Brush still available to use?
Yes. Although Google ended active development in January 2021, Tilt Brush remains available on VR app stores and continues to function. Google also open-sourced the code, enabling community-maintained alternatives like Open Brush to provide free versions for PC VR and Meta Quest.
SourceTilt Brush: Is there a free version of Tilt Brush?
The official Google Tilt Brush costs $19.99. However, Open Brush (the open-source community version) is completely free and available for PC VR via Steam and on Oculus Quest.
SourceTilt Brush: What VR headsets does Tilt Brush support?
Tilt Brush works on HTC Vive, Oculus Rift, Oculus Quest, Windows Mixed Reality, Valve Index, and PlayStation VR. The open-source Open Brush version also supports PC VR.
SourceTilt Brush: Can I export my Tilt Brush creations?
Yes. Tilt Brush creations can be exported as room-scale VR pieces or animated GIFs to share with others. The app does not support direct export to 3D model formats like OBJ or FBX.
SourceTilt Brush: Is Tilt Brush good for professional 3D design work?
Tilt Brush is primarily a creative expression and painting tool rather than a professional 3D design tool. It lacks features like layers, editable 3D brushes, and precise refinement controls needed for professional workflows. For professional VR sculpting, Adobe Medium or Quill are better choices.
SourceRelated pages
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- Tilt Brush vs Lumion
- Tilt Brush vs Houdini
- Tilt Brush vs Arnold
- Tilt Brush vs Inventor
- Tilt Brush vs Mudbox
- Tilt Brush vs Corona Renderer
- Tilt Brush vs D5 Render
- Tilt Brush vs Twinmotion
- Tilt Brush vs LightWave 3D
- Tilt Brush vs OpenSCAD
- Tilt Brush vs PrusaSlicer
- Tilt Brush vs Siemens NX
- Tilt Brush vs ZBrush
- Tilt Brush vs 3D-Coat
- Tilt Brush vs Alibre Design
- Tilt Brush vs ARCore
- Tilt Brush vs ARKit
- Tilt Brush vs Meta Quest
- Tilt Brush vs Apple Vision Pro
- Tilt Brush vs Unity AR Foundation
- Tilt Brush vs HTC Vive
- Tilt Brush vs 8th Wall
- Tilt Brush vs Lens Studio
- Tilt Brush vs Vuforia
- Tilt Brush vs A-Frame
- Tilt Brush vs Babylon.js
- Tilt Brush vs Microsoft HoloLens 2
- Tilt Brush vs Niantic Lightship
- Tilt Brush vs PlayStation VR2
- Tilt Brush vs Spark AR Studio
- Tilt Brush vs TikTok Effect House
- Tilt Brush vs Gravity Sketch
- Tilt Brush vs Instagram AR Effects